Milena Dudasova will be the youth delegate of Slovakia to the 67 th session of the UN General Assembly in 2012 and join her country's delegation to the Third Committee, dealing with social, humanitarian and cultural issues.
She will be part of the United Nations Youth Delegate programme, through which youth representatives join their country's delegation at the United Nations General Assembly session in New York. The programme is one of the many ways of participation by young people in the work of the Organization.
"Young people are more than our future. They are also our present, both in numbers and how they drive political and social change," said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2011, in which he defined working with the young generation as a strategic imperative for the United Nations.
Outlining her priorities as youth delegate, Milena stated she would place an emphasis on the importance of non-formal education for young people. "It is hard these days for young people to get their first job, so beyond theoretical education, other factors such as the acquisition of practical skills and social competencies are becoming more and more important," she argued. "Young people are making individual choices that shape their future, by looking beyond the formal education they receive in school".
In preparation for her new role, Milena visited the United Nations headquarters in Vienna on 27 July 2012, where she gained first impressions during a guided tour and met with United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna Director Janos Tisovszky and several UNIS staff members. She was joined by her predecessor Monika Marekova, who represented Slovakia as youth delegate in 2011 was able to provide practical advice based on her experience the previous year.
"Not only will Milena Dudasova represent her country, as youth delegate she is also an ambassador of the United Nations to the public in her home country, a visible personality in the spotlight of national media. Youth delegates are therefore an important partner for us in informing people on the work of the United Nations, so it is very beneficial for UN information centres to work closely with their national youth delegates throughout the process " said UNIS Vienna Director Janos Tisovszky.
From Pecovska Nova Ves in Eastern Slovakia, Milena is a student of Architecture. Inspired by the Ancient Roman architect Vitruvius, Milena believes that, since architecture is created for people, an architect must have an interest in the broad range of issues that affect people. Being interested both in youth policy and international affairs, she applied for the youth delegate programme and was selected through a competitive process consisting of essays, interviews and debate.
